Story number 2 for 20 Apr 2001

(India)–Next, the leader of an influential Hindu nationalist organization in India has this week accused foreign governments of using Christianity as a political weapon to divide the Indian nation. In spite of the potential trouble this could bring to indigenous mission groups connected to the West. G.V. Mathai remains optimistic. “Though the government is a Hindu government, the Lord has opened some avenues that we can go ahead and preach and do some charitable work. Not only preaching the Gospel, they appreciate the work which we are doing like helping the poor and needy, relief work and also, helping the orphan children.” Mathai asks believers to pray because: “We have sent our Bible college students, about 50 of them, sent them to different parts of India to do short term mission work. During the last three or four years, we have been able to penetrate the country with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”